God’s Plan For Your Life

by Rick Whitneya Great Commission Plains book

God’s Plan For Your Life

Copyright 2013, by Rick Whitney.

All rights reserved.

Published by Great Commission Plains.

Cover design: Elisa Shaffer

For more information, visit our website at:www.gcnwdads.com

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Believer, First off, do you think God has a plan for your life? A specific plan and path for you? This is an important question. Do we believe He is so closely acquainted with all of our ways, all of our choices, so familiar with each of our lives – that He wants to tell us exactly how we should follow and serve Him? Is your God big enough to not only know you, but to care about what you ‘put your hand to,’ and how you might serve Him? Do you think God has revealed, or written somewhere, in some place - His will for your life? Is it

“What does He want from me?”God’s Plan for Your Life

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in the New Testament? Are there guideposts found in the New Testament, that have been left there to give clear, life direction - to each of us? I hope you are answering, “Yes, Yes,” and “Yes.”

In the book of Acts there was a group of believers that we can learn from. In how to have a “Yes” attitude towards God. Paul and Silas, because of strong opposition they received in one town, were encouraged by the believers to keep moving. So they walked down the road to another town called Berea. The Bible says that those Bereans were, “. . . more noble minded . . . for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” The Bereans were not naïve. They were checking Paul and Silas’s message against their own Scriptures. But they were eager to believe. They wanted to believe. Their heart example is why I hope you are answering

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“Yes” to these questions. *Does God have a specific plan for your life? Yes.*Does He have a specific path for your life? Yes.*Does He want to tell us just exactly how we should live our life and what we should live our lives for? Yes. *And has He spelled out, very clearly in His New Testament, what He wants from you? And from me? And from every believer?

All of us need personal, spiritual road maps. Guideposts for when we first start to follow our Savior. Every believer needs a starting point for their own spiritual journey. What follows is the roadmap God gave us forty years ago, when we were first getting going. We wanted a plan, a method, and we were looking for a plan from God Himself. If He showed us ‘a way’ to understand the New Testament, we promised our Savior (and each other), that we would follow ‘that way,’ and do it together - for the rest of our lives. An honor thing.

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We wanted to follow God and make disciples. We were searching for an overall master plan on how to make disciples. A plan that would be true for all of us and each of us. And the answers we were looking for welded us together as a movement of men and women. And as a movement of churches.

When you first come to Christ and begin reading the New Testament, you right away see an overwhelming number of messages, principles and truths. Each principle and truth is exciting. But often we can get overwhelmed and ask, “How does it all fit together? What is the overarching blueprint?” We asked God for His blueprint and God’s Will for Your Life is what He gave us. We now know that the game plan explained in this little booklet, contains God’s will for every believer. And that these principles and truths can form a foundation, upon which we can build a Christ-honoring life. God’s Will for Your Life gives clear guidance as we daily

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decide just how to navigate this life He has given us. The specific Scriptures we will look at help us build solid walls. Solid, strong, enduring walls. These Scriptures are kind of like the 2 x 4’s and the sheetrock, and the bricks. Every life needs solid walls. We will not be addressing the paint colors you might choose. Or what you hang on your walls. That’s up to you. God is pleased to give each of us great freedom. To drive a truck or drive a computer. To live in a house or an apartment. To be more of a country boy or more of a city kid. But God has told every one of us how to build our walls. How to build “the house” that represents each of our lives. He has revealed what the big issues are that you and I should focus in on. And what we should give our heart to. He has written it down. God’s Will for Your Life is the scaffolding that our Savior graciously revealed to us that summer - long ago. It is “the way” that we

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have sought to walk in and follow our Savior’s steps. It is how we have interpreted our life responsibility as believers. When all of the New Testament is understood in light of God’s Will, an individual Christian has a framework of confidence that he is obeying His Savior and following His Lord. That he is obeying the major life directives that Jesus left us.

Keep pressing, Rick

(Thank you, Chris, for sharing your early notes from one of our first conferences where this message was first taught.)

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How we respond to this message, God’s Will for Your Life, is critical. Here are testimonies from men I respect. You will read how they responded to all this:

Herschel Martindale has been a pastor for over 55 years, and has ministered in many countries of the world for over 25 years: “I’m not sure that I know exactly when I understood God’s Plan for my Life. In the sense of His desire to see every person saved. But the man who led me to Christ implanted this in me. At that same time, a leader shared with me Romans 12:1-2, and I committed my life to following Jesus Christ and seeing people saved and making them into disciples, through the church. (P.S. I’m still learning.)”

Dennis Clark has been pastoring for over 40 years and for the last 13 years, in the state of Colorado: “I was very challenged when I heard God’s Will for Your Life. I saw it as something I wanted to give the rest of my life to. And I wanted to be with the quality of

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people I saw doing it. And God has blessed me. No regrets.”

John Hopler has been pastoring since 1979, working in national ministry since the mid-1980s, serving the Great Commission Churches: “There were two instances when God stirred my heart to fulfill His will. The first in 1975 when I read in John 21:16: “Do you love Me? . . . shepherd My sheep.” The second was at a conference in 1976 when I heard a message on the Great Commission from Matthew 28:19.20. Even though I did not know the specific details of how I would be serving Him, I was both stirred and encouraged because I knew that God was leading me into a life of loving Him, proclaiming the gospel and pastoring His church—and that He would be with me all the way.”

Brent Knox has been a co-founding pastor at Evergreen Church in Bloomington, Minn., for the past 25 years: “This is fresh in my mind because I just preached about it this

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past weekend. Rom. 12:1-2 pierced my soul in Kansas City in 1976. But God had to break me first. I was at a conference and all of us were going to go out witnessing. I hid in a closet so I wouldn’t have to participate. After everyone left, I helped a couple guys with the building. I tried to force open a door, and plunged my hand into a protruding nail. It was at the health clinic that Tom Grove and I started sharing our faith. I thought, “I would like to be doing this for the rest of my life.”

Mark Darling has been a co-founding pastor at Evergreen Church and the Rock for 25 years, pastoring in Minneapolis for 27 years: “I was 19, and just got back from hitchhiking to the Colorado mountains, and the oilfields of Texas. I was beginning to see the futility of life. But was not yet willing to yield to God. In October of 1975, in one short month, I almost lost my life 3 times. And realized that God was messing with my life and wanted my attention. One night on the way to see my girlfriend, I pulled off by the side of the road alongside a

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river. I got out of my car, sat on a log, and told God that, ‘The rest of my life is Yours. I am all in. And will do whatever You want, for the rest of my life.’ I back got in my car, drove to meet her and said, ‘Our relationship is over. I have committed the rest of my life to Christ and God’s work.’ I’ve never looked back. That was 38 years ago!”

Christopher Biang has been a pastor since 1983, in East Lansing, MI, West Chicago, Ill. and West Lafayette, Ind.: “I first heard God’s Will for Your Life at a retreat in Madrid, Iowa, in 1972. I responded positively for a few months, but soon realized the cost of being a disciple was more than I was willing to pay. I drifted away, into my own ways and pursuits. A year of discouragement and frustration led me to a decision point. My life would be better spent obeying Christ than following my futile desires. That was the beginning of my committed walk with God.”

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Pat Sokoll became a pastor at Stonebrook Church in Ames, Iowa, in 1992. He is pastoring in Loveland, CO. and serving the Mountains West Region: “The two most amazing truths I ever encountered as a young man were:1. God wanted me, to be with me, to enjoy me, and to know me. I somehow mattered to Him. 2. My life could be invested in the most noble pursuit I could ever imagine. I could submit my agenda to His and participate in the growth of His kingdom. I could bring His message to men and women who were just as lost and confused as me. I could invest my life, rather than spend it. I could express my gratitude to my Savior by becoming a grain of wheat that multiplied a hundred fold. I could ‘take it with me.’ And the Father, Son and Spirit would smile.”

Berk Wilson has been pastoring for 25 years in Raleigh, N.C. at Grace Community Church: “In my early days, I would ask, ‘What is God’s will for my life? What does He want me to do?’ So it was a lot about duty. However, when I began to ask and answer these questions, it

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began to be how I could actually love God. So it turned into more about loving God, discovering what He wanted and pursuing that. And as I asked these questions, I realized that I needed help. I needed the church. So I began to pursue those people who were actually making disciples.”

So here is the teaching – God’s Will for Your Life:

1. Does God want us to know and understand His specific will for our life? Yes! “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” - Ephesians 5:15-17

2. Greatest Commandment. We began with our Lord’s summary of God’s Will. After being challenged by a lawyer, Jesus answered by reducing the teachings of the Bible into a

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few, crisp words. This is where He began and where we started. “And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’ ” - Matthew 22:35-40

- We are to love our Lord with all we have. - We are to love our neighbor. And there are ultimately only two types of neighbors on this earth. Saved and lost. We seek to win our lost neighbor and build up our saved neighbor. We are also commanded to die to self, this world and all it offers. No small task, but one that the Lord assumed His followers would embrace.

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“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’ ”

- Luke 9:23

First, we must love God. To love Him, we must first be born again. We do this by receiving Him, receiving Him as our Savior. Only then will we learn, all through our life,

God

Saved Disciple Lost

self

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more and more about Christ our Lord. We then show our love for Him by obeying Him. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” - John 1:12

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” - John 14:15

“But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” - James 1:22

The Lost . Next , we s tudied our responsibility to our lost neighbors and examined our Savior’s life as our example.

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“But He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.’” - Luke 4:43

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” - Luke 19:10

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 2:3-4

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.” - John 15:16

Jesus Christ’s last words after He had lived, walked and taught for three years, died and rose again – His last words gripped us. His words were a kind of “Last Will and Testament.” This has been called the Great

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Commission, upon which we named our movement of churches. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20

3. Win the Lost. To win the lost was clearly our Lord’s purpose in life and in death. Paul then followed Christ in this same purpose. Paul was just a man, but he imitated Jesus’s purpose and embraced the Lord’s purpose - as his very own. “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation . . . and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as

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though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” - 1 Corinthians 9:22-24

Our Mission. Paul was not slow about recruiting every Christian to this very same purpose in life. To be involved in winning the lost for the rest of our life. “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your

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opponents— which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you.” - Philippians 1:27-28

“Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. . . Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 10:24-11:1

“Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.” - Philippians 3:17

“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; (do, KJV) and the God of peace shall be with you.” - Philippians 4:9

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“And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” - 2 Timothy 2:2 4. Self. We put self and the world at the foot of the diagram. Before moving over to the other side of the diagram and examining our responsibilities to the saved, just a quick word on the futility of living for self. “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” - Luke 9:24-25

“Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts;

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but the one who does the will of God abides forever.” - 1 John 2:15-17

5. The Saved. Our Lord told us to love our neighbor as ourselves. If our neighbors are saved, they are part of God’s church and we are to love His church and serve it for the rest of our lives. But we asked, “Just what was God’s pattern for the church? What is God’s plan on how we are to serve and love believers in the church?” We found that God’s plan was revealed through the structure and mission of the New Testament Church. And the New Testament Church was unlike anything we had ever read or understood:

* The New Testament Church is God’s household. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” - Ephesians 2:19

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“But in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 3:15 * The New Testament Church has family dynamics. “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:2-4

“Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” - Hebrews 13:17

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* The New Testament Church is a body with a very real Leader. “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” - Ephesians 1:22-23

* The New Testament Church body has many parts. “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” - Romans 12:4-5

* The New Testament Church is designed to work. “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know,

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brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4

“For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

“So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” - Colossians 1:10

For the first 10 years of our movement’s history, our churches were first called, “works.” The work in Ames, the work in Columbus, etc.

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” - Hebrews 6:10

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* The New Testament Church is an active army. “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” - 2 Timothy 2:3-4

* The New Testament Church is where we are equipped, trained. “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. - Ephesians 4:11-13

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the

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excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” - 1 Peter 2:8-9

* The New Testament Church is seriously caught in a great struggle. “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” - Ephesians 6:11-12

“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” - 1 Timothy 6:12 6. The Church - our Way. When we looked at God’s plan for our life as revealed in the New Testament, we saw the Church as His intended method to carry out all of His

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will. The Church was His “Base of Operation.” The New Testament Church was, and is, how He has sought for centuries to win the lost and build up the Body of Christ. David Platt put it this way, “The Local Church is Plan A. There is no Plan B.” As we studied the book of Acts, we saw the New Testament Church’s goals, purposes, example, and practices – were all clearly laid out for all of us to read and attempt to imitate and follow. “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” - Acts 2:42-43

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them

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claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.” - Acts 4:31-33

Our whole future was on display, outlined, within these verses from Acts. God’s will for our life was revealed in the pattern of those First Century Believers. We knew that those early Christians also had jobs and marriages and children and fields and occupations and bills and responsibilities in life. As did we. But whether we were lawyers, carpenters or computer engineers, or dads or moms or single - we set our heart to follow our Lord and to be involved in this Great Commission. We were thrilled to read that those early believers in the Book of Acts were incredibly successful in carrying out God’s Will. We also wanted to win.

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“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

“Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.” - Acts 26:19-20

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.” - Romans 1:8

“For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith

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toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:8 The last time that specific numbers are mentioned in the Book of Acts, 5,000 men are listed as believers. With their wives and children, let’s call it 20,000 believers at the very beginning of the Church Age. Time magazine has estimated that in the 1st Century there were about 200 million people on this planet. That equals one believer for every 10,000 people. Around 1000 A.D., 1 out of 100 people on this planet were believers. 2,000 years after He died and rose and gave this Great Commission to His church, it is estimated that there are 700 million believers. There are 7 billion souls on this rock. This means that today, 1 out of 10 people on this planet are believers! The Lord’s Church is winning!

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“Evangelical Christians are the fastest growing major religious group in the world today and it is the only one growing rapidly by conversion.” - Patrick Johnstone In 1974 approximately one half of the world’s population was beyond the reach of the church. Today just one third of the world’s population lives beyond the present reach of the church. The Lord’s church is winning!

At the end of our study of the New Testament, having gained understanding of what God has already revealed, and what His will is – there was only one question left, “Were we willing to follow His plan?” We felt inadequate, but we answered, “Yes, by the grace of God.” Our prayer is that you will also answer, “Yes, by the grace of God.” September 2013 Keep pressing, Rick Whitney

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“For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have.” - 2 Corinthians 8:12

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” - 2 Corinthians 5:14,15

This is - - God’s Will for Your Life

This is - - New Testament Christianity in Action Today

“First - every person ought to give his life to Christ. Second - whether or not anyone else gives Him his life, I will give Him mine. I wish to God that everyone was going on for Jesus Christ, but whether they do or not, I know I will.” - Jonathan Edwards

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Gary Osborn has been pastoring since 1979, the last 18 years in the state of Nebraska: “I don’t know if I can remember an exact date. “God’s Will for Your Life” was shared at nearly every GCC conference we had when I was in my 20’s. For me, the realization of this truth came more slowly. It is funny how you can hear something over and over, yet it doesn’t register. But observing different people making life choices - that began to impact my life. I can remember a small team leaving our church in Ames to start a church in Columbus, Ohio. A close friend moving to help plant a church in Minneapolis. I can remember thinking, ‘I want to go too.’ It was at that time I realized that what was really important in life was people, lost and saved.”

Tom Brown pastored in Fort Collins, CO. and helped start the Rio Church in El Paso. Tom has pastored at K-State and recently moved to Wichita, KS, to help start a new Vintage Faith Church there: “After becoming a follower of Christ as a freshman at Colorado State

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University I joined some friends at a summer program in Myrtle Beach. I remember sitting in a sanctuary one night with several hundred students listening to a preacher calling for sacrifice and dedication in the Great Commission. I was persuaded. Until that point my faith was about my own personal search for meaning. That night the whole foundation shifted and life became a journey to go and love others by proclaiming Jesus.”

Jim Wiebelhaus has been a pastor for 19 years, and has ministered in many countries of the world for over 20 years: “I was 19 and had been a Christian for one year. I was with some older brothers in Christ sitting around a campfire. We sang the words, ‘I have decided, to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.’ I made a decision to follow Him and not turn back. A few months later at my first GC conference in Ankeny, IA, the theme of the conference for me was, ‘God wants to use us. God wants to use me. To bring the good news of Jesus to this lost world.’ I felt God stirring

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my spirit and I responded, with some fear as to what it might all mean, but I said, ‘Yes.’ ”

Xavier Rodriguez got saved in 2007 at the University of Nebraska/Omaha, and has been involved in campus ministry there, since: “I reasoned that if God was really there, it made sense to put Him in charge (considering He knows everything anyway). During my first Faithwalkers, while I considered myself ‘committed’ (to Christ, the church, etc.) a pastor at the conference said that commitment to Christ and His cause – is spelled out over a lifetime. As I looked around the room and saw thousands of peers, from all over the country, each taking God seriously, I thought,‘Wow! This is a big deal.’ I realized it was about more than just me and my time in college. I decided I would invest the rest of my life with my brothers and sisters to help change this world with the Gospel, ‘one person at a time.’ And seek to do God’s will for my life.”

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Kennan Ingalsbe has been a pastor for a couple years, and has been involved in the local church and home group ministries for almost 30 years, mostly in Manhattan, KS.: “In July 1984, when I was not really seeking God, He was seeking me. He saved me that summer and put in my heart a zeal for His Word. It was evident from the start that God’s Will for My Life, was to know His Word and put it into practice. I sought out Bible studies within the church, as well as at home, and was trying to live out what I was learning, which included sharing all that I was learning with family and co-workers. Although what I do now as a Pastor may seem a little more formal than things were at the beginning, the calling of God and His Will have not changed. Know Him and Share Him!”

Jeff Wieman has been a pastor for 5 years at The Firehouse Church in downtown Denver, CO: “I remember being at a weekend retreat my freshman year of college, and hearing a teaching about how God desired to use me

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to do BIG things for Him. Afterwards I went outside into the Colorado mountains and spent some time crying out to God and committing myself to follow and serve Him - for the rest of my life. God has blessed me ever since and I can’t imagine doing anything else. His Will is very good.”

Cody Hill is a campus staffer at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. He has been involved in college ministry for the last 4 years. “Shortly after the death of a close friend of mine I was challenged by my local pastors to commit to God’s Will for my life, and all that that involved. Since then, I have been blessed to serve alongside great men and women, and to keep my focus on the Gospel. I may be younger, but for me, living out God’s Will has influenced my work choices, how my family lives their life, my future plans, and doing it all together within the local church.”

Rory Whitney, a co-founding pastor at Candlewood Church in Omaha, NE, for the

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past fifteen years: “My first memory of God’s call on my life, was when serving as an altar boy in my family’s church. The second time this occurred was when I was invited to attend some revival church meeting, under a tent on a hot summer night, in my hometown at the age of 18. The third and last time was when I gave my life to Christ at 29 and committed my life to God’s Will for my life. At that very moment I knew that God had called me to the ministry and I willingly accepted whatever His role was for me.”

Ben Lennander, pastoring since 2002 and involved with the Great Commission Churches since he was two years old: “I clearly remember the day I chose to give myself to God’s will for my life. I was thirteen years old, in eighth grade, and had a choice before me. Prior to this time my dream was to grow up and live in Alaska and work with managing natural resources. As I developed my relationship with God I saw that what He cared about was people. There was wrestling in my soul, ‘Do

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I live for myself and pursue my dreams or do I follow God’s desire and live for winning the lost and building disciples the rest of my life?’ I paced back in forth praying in my room and yielded to God. I made a commitment to the Lord that day that I would go anywhere and do anything for Him to make disciples for the rest of my life.”

Matt Gordon has pastored at Cyprus Church in Gainesville for 26 years: “As a new student at the University of Florida, I came to a Gator Christian Life meeting, from a poster entitled, “Looking for a Few Good Men.” With a personal drive to make my life count, I was eager to understand what others in the church were living for. I observed men and women who lived out an authentic, wholehearted Christian life. God’s Word was constantly on their lips and sharing the gospel was a part of everyday life. Through one-on-one conversations, weekly teachings and conferences - it was reinforced that God has an amazing plan for my life that will take the rest of my life to

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see accomplished. Through my college years I became increasingly convinced that God wanted me to commit to pursuing the Great Commission with my new church family.”

Josh Whitney has been involved serving the Rock Church in Salt Lake City, Utah for the last 10 years, seven as a pastor. Prior he served in college ministry at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado for eight years: “In college, I heard a teaching on God’s Will for my life at a retreat in Iowa. God really spoke to me that night about living a life for Him. I remember a couple of my friends and I jumped in a car because it was cold and spent some time praying and asking God to use us the rest of our lives. And that is how I have strived to live since that day.”

Mike Whitney has served at UNO as a student leader, life group coach, deacon and now pastor at Candlewood Church. Currently serving The Rock ministries on the UNL & UNO campuses: “I first heard Gods call on my life when I was younger - at a conference. It

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felt like God ran me over with a locomotive! I know God spoke to me. That night I remember ‘crutching’ my way out to a field and just weeping. When God touches you, you know it, and it changes the way you live. Immediately I knew that I had to feed and train my soul by reading the Bible. From that night on I knew what my life was going to be consumed with. For 15 years and running I have been involved in the Gospel, sowing to various degrees. I also have had the privilege of building and serving others, in their faith.”

Believer, If you are at a place where you are serious about following our Savior, serving Him and working to advance His Kingdom - then study Jesus’s life. One thing you will notice right away in the 4 Gospels is that He was available! Our Lord would get up early and get alone with His Father, but then, all day long, day after day, He was available to people. One author put it this way:“He didn’t just love the idea of being with people. He actually

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loved being with them. A lot of people in the world stop being available at some point. It’s subtle, because it happens a little at a time. It’s not malicious or anything - it just happens. Jesus wasn’t that way. He seemed to have more time for people as time went on, not less. That’s one of the things which makes love so powerful; it leaves us a way to find it.”

All the men I have quoted in this booklet are available. If you have questions for one of them, we can get you in touch. If we seek to influence people and serve them, we must be available. I also am available. To talk. To dialogue. Get ahold of me at: rickatgcnw@aol.com again, Keep pressing, Rick

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Here on these last two pages is a summary card, which might help outline our daily opportunity to be involved in God’s Will for Your Life.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

“With humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important

than himself.”

“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost . . . Follow Me, and I will make you

fishers of men.”

“Our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”

God

Saved Disciple Lost

self

1. _____________

2. _____________

3. _____________

4. _____________

5. _____________

1. _____________

2. _____________

3. _____________

4. _____________

5. _____________

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Building Up One Another

1. How consistent are your times with God? What has God been teaching you and

what Scriptures are you memorizing?

2. Who are you praying for? Both the lost and the saved?

3. What challenges are you facing? Spiritual, emotional, physical?

4. How have you “blown it”?

5. What stood out to you personally from church on Sunday? Either from the message or the meeting?

6. Have you had a chance to serve God’s people this week?

7. Have you shared with the lost? Invited someone to church?